Spring Cleaning is one of my favorite things to do. It gets me out of the “Winter Blues” when I can go through my house and organize, clean, and donate items we no longer need. We seems to accumulate “stuff” by the truck fulls so we do “spring cleaning” about 4 times a year I swear. lol. But at least we are not just hoarding it all. Although there are times that I feel that way when the kids don’t clean up or I haven’t had time to clean the house for a couple days.

In order to do a great job Spring Cleaning – I like to have a good cleaner. I have used the same cleaner for years and thought it was great (I will not disclose the brand), but I recently tried J.R. Watkins All Purpose Cleaner for the first time and I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised. I sprayed it into my very dirty white counter tops and after a couple of minutes I started cleaning the counter, and it cleaned it back to a sparkling white. It cleaned better and faster than other brands I have tried and I loved it. The hand soap works equally well – cleaning your hands and leaving them feeling soft.

I have to admit that cleaning out the pantry is one of the things that I DON’T look forward too because it is always such a mess. But I dug in again this spring to get it done, and I used the tips below provided by Balance Bar and it made things move a lot faster, and it looks better than it ever has. There are 5 easy steps to Spring Clean your Pantry:

Spring Cleaning tips from Registered Dietician Sharon Richter

Spring Cleaning tips from Registered Dietician Sharon Richter:

Step 1: Empty everything from your food pantry. It’s okay to start with a mess and you’ll be surprised what’s hiding in there!

Step 2: Throw away anything that has expired, has been open for more than a couple weeks or you know you’re just not going to use.

Step 3: Check the labels. Here are a couple ingredients you simply shouldn’t have in any foods: Hydrogenated oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). These three ingredients have no nutritional value and may lead to illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. They’re commonly found in baked beans, soda, flavored noodles, soup, salad dressings, desserts and other packaged foods.

Step 3: Now that you have tossed out all of the expired and unhealthy foods lurking in your pantry, it’s time to categorize everything. I break my pantry down into: Breakfast (cereals and oatmeal), Soups, Canned Protein such as tuna, salmon and beans, Dressings and Marinades, Spices, Oils and Vinegars, Raw Nuts and Seeds and Whole Grains including quinoa, faro and spelt flour. Now that you see what ingredients you have, make a list of those that you don’t often use and try to incorporate them into new recipes.

Step 5: Make sure you have plenty of portion controlled snacks readily available and at the front of the pantry. You tend to eat more of what is eye-level or easily accessible. I always stock up on Balance Dark Bars for a quick and healthy snack on the go. I also recommend Justin’s squeeze packs of nut butter or unsweetened apple sauce single serving containers.

We love Balance Bar and we always have a stash of them on hand. They are great snacks for not only the adults but also our kids. They love them more than we do I think – and little do they know how much healthier they are than a candy bar!

Since we love Balance Bar and the J.R. Watkins Cleaning products so much that I want to give one lucky reader the chance to win a Prize Pack! Open to US only. Must be 18 or older to enter. Giveaway will run from 4/15 – 4/21. All entries will be verified, so please complete the ones you select.

Coralie is a SAHM of four kids. She does web design on the side and is always looking for something fun to do with her family (activities, being outdoors, games, movies, etc). Be sure to sign up for our FREE daily email

My spring cleaning routine involves creating chaos! You can’t truly clean the mess until you’ve dug in deep and made it bigger before you start. Once I’ve emptied everything out, the real cleaning can begin!

I go through my boys’ clothes and toys first. Then I go through my stuff and try to help my huaband go through his. Then I go through the pantry and fridge. Then I start deep cleaning the floors, walls, ect.

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About Clint & Coralie

My name is Coralie (Cor-a-lee). I am a God-loving mom of four sweet and sassy kids, computer junky, smoothie addict, and lover of peanut butter and chocolate. My husband Clint is a daddy by day and a super-hero by night. READ MORE HERE
You can connect with us through email at
lovebugsandpostcards @ gmail.com